The iPhone 15 is expected to launch in September 2023.
For instance, it looks as though Apple will finally embrace USB-C charging and ditch the Lightning port. And we may see an entirely new model dubbed the iPhone 15 Ultra, which could take the iPhone Pro series to the next level with a super durable titanium design.
It also looks as though Apple will keep a very large divide between the regular and Pro models, as only the iPhone 15 Pro series is tipped to get a new periscope zoom lens.
Here’s everything we know about the iPhone 15 so far.
iPhone 15 Ultra rumored release date
When it comes to iPhone launch dates, Apple is consistent with it, which meaning we can expect to see the iPhone 15 lineup around the same time we saw the iPhone 14 release in 2022.
This means the iPhone 15 Ultra is likely to launch sometime in September 2023, although its shipping date could be pushed further back much like how the iPhone oo 14 so as Max came out a couple of weeks later than the rest of the iPhone 14 lineup.
Seeing as the similarly branded Apple Watch Ultra was announced with the new Apple Watch Series 8, it’s possible the iPhone 15 Ultra will follow suit and not have its own separate launch event. Of course, everything is still up in the air, and it may not be called the “Ultra” after all.
iPhone 15 Ultra price
The iPhone 15 Ultra’s price are scarce. However, there are a few clues to piece together. For one, Apple didn’t change the price of its iPhone 14 compared to the previous year’s iPhone 13 lineup (well, only in the U.S., that is). Secondly, if the iPhone 15 Ultra is expected to replace the iPhone Pro Max model, it could be priced similarly. Ergo, we could see the 15 Ultra cost around $1,099.
However, we are talking about “Ultra ” model here. We’ve seen the Apple Watch Ultra and the M1 Ultra chip make its way to the Mac Studio. They are Apple’s most powerful products in their respective categories, and they come with a high price tag. If this is the case, the 15 Ultra is expected to be costly.
The iPhone 15 Ultra comes in a titanium chassis (more on that later) would jack up the price.
The iPhone 14 Pro Max already starts at $1,099, and considering the Apple Watch Ultra’s price gap, we could the rumored 15 Ultra be priced somewhere between $1,500-$2,000.
iPhone 15 camera
The new camera is one of the earliest rumors of the iPhone 15. After raising the megapixels bar to 48MP on the iPhone 14 Pro models, word is that the iPhone 15 could finally get a periscope camera for better long-range photography and zoom capabilities, supposedly along with improved lenses for better quality photos.
This is something that Android handsets in our best camera phones list have done for some time, and it would be great to see Finally Apple is offering this. Though, as ever, we’d be very surprised if this wasn’t initially Pro only if it arrives in 2023 at all.
Speaking of ‘Pro’ differentiation, the analyst Ming-Chi Kuo thinks that Apple will give its ‘Pro’ models some unique features and could be looking to upsell its larger 6.7-inch handsets with exclusive features over the smaller models. What these could be was left open to speculation at this point, but it’s possible that a periscoping camera could be an iPhone 15 Pro Max-only feature in an effort to upsell.
iPhone 15 Ultra performance and other features
Even before the iPhone 14’s launch, analysts were predicting Apple would use different processors for its various phones going forward. Probably the iPhone 15 Ultra will have a new chipset when it launches. Logic dictates that would be the A17 Bionic.
A recent report from TrendForce tips the iPhone 15 Pro lineup to feature this rumored A17 Bionic while the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus keep the older A16 Bionic chipset.
As impressive as A16 Bionic benchmarks are in the current iPhone 14 Pro models, the A17 could also offer a performance boost. The upcoming chipset is rumored to use a 3-nanometer process, which would be smaller than 4nm A16. Going with a smaller chipset usually brings a boost in both performance and power efficiency.
We’ve heard for years that Apple is looking to develop its own modem for future iPhones rather than rely on Qualcomm for that critical component. Analysts have tipped 2023 as the earliest an Apple-built modem would be ready. If it is, we’d expect the iPhone 15 Ultra to be in line to feature such a part.
Other potential iPhone 15 Ultra features are less about rumors and more about changes we’d like to see to an iPhone worthy of the Ultra label. While Apple now includes an acceptable level of storage for the base models of its phones, we feel like 256GB would be a more appropriate minimum for an iPhone 15 Ultra phone that’s looking to stand out from the other models in Apple’s lineup.
Similarly, one of our big iPhone 15 wish listitems is for faster wired charging than the 20W current iPhones offer; certainly an iPhone 15 Ultra will need to challenge the faster charging speeds you’ll find in top Android phones.
